A young girl’s poetic exploration of the enchanting ocean she loves.
This is my ocean, the young girl begins as she heads over the dunes with her mother. Then, as they pass the whole day at the seaside, she lyrically describes her ocean in simple, sensory detail. It’s both slimy and sandy,
sparkly and dull. It has wonderful sounds, as it splashes and crashes and echoes and squawks. And it contains so many colours, from rusted orange to runaway red,
faded white to polished green. Though mostly it’s blue. Nothing the girl experiences escapes her careful observation and appreciation. And at day’s end, she can’t wait for her next trip to the beach. Author Darren Lebeuf, an award-winning photographer, uses spare text and a rhythmic style to create an evocative read-aloud. The vivid adjectives, both concrete and abstract, will inspire children to try to capture in words what they notice not only at the ocean, but in any natural setting. The bright, richly colored cut-paper collage illustrations by Ashley Barron add a captivating visual texture and depth to the story. The portrayal of a girl with a physical disability enjoying and actively participating in a day at the beach encourages all children to do the same in their own lives, while also offering a character education lesson in adaptability. This book has strong curriculum ties to primary nature units and life science lessons on oceans and the seaside, and it offers a perfect focus for nature-based education and outdoor classrooms. AGES: 3 to 7 AUTHOR: Darren Lebeuf is an award-winning photographer with a background in design and visual communication. My Forest Is Green is his first picture book. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ashley Barron is an award-winning illustrator who specialises in cut-paper collage. Her creations can be found in children’s books, newspapers, set designs and shop windows. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.